Minnesota Twins: Pitching still the priority in free-agent market

Twins general manager Terry Ryan But general manager Terry Ryan made it clear the Twins are active participants in the race for the best available free-agent pitchers. (Pioneer Press file photo: Richard Marshall)

Though the winter meetings are still three weeks away, baseball already is atwitter over some big offseason moves, from a blockbuster trade between salary-purging Miami and go-for-broke Toronto to Torii Hunter signing a two-year deal with American League pennant winner Detroit.

In Minnesota, however, it has been quiet. Too quiet for some fans who worry a crucial offseason already is getting away from the idle Twins. The biggest Twins-related free-agent news has been right-hander Scott Baker, a member of the organization since being drafted in 2003, signing a one-year deal with the Chicago Cubs.

But general manager Terry Ryan on Thursday, Nov. 15, made it clear the Twins are active participants in the race for the best available free-agent pitchers, and were, in fact, talking with the Marlins, who are waiting for Commissioner Bud Selig to approve a deal to send left-hander Mark Buehrle, right-hander Josh Johnson and shortstop Jose Reyes to the Blue Jays.

Asked if the Twins were among those talking trade with Miami, Ryan chose his words carefully. "We were aware of their feelings," he said.

Loath to tip his hand, Ryan also knows he can't pretend he's not trying to sign one, or two, pitchers on a relatively short list of free-agent starters who should be able to help the Twins immediately as members of the 2013 rotation, which, as it stands, includes only left-hander Scott Diamond, who earned a spot by going 12-9 with a 3.

Asked whether the Twins are talking to these players or their representatives, Ryan said, "Anybody who is a starting pitcher that we've identified as having some ability, you can assume we've touched base with them," he said.

The Twins have roughly $74 million committed for next season, meaning that if the team stays in the $100 million payroll range of 2012, Ryan has about $25 million to fix a rotation that was the AL's worst in 2012 with 12 pitchers combining for a 5.40 ERA. Because competent starting pitching is a rare commodity -- Baker got $5.5 million from Chicago despite spending 2012 rehabbing from Tommy John surgery -- it seems likely the best free agents will wait at least until the Dec. 3-6 winter meetings in Nashville, Tenn., where agents can incite a bidding war between the assembled front offices.

Before leaving for Nashville, Ryan also has to finalize his 40-man roster in preparation for the Dec. 6 Rule 5 draft, which makes three-year minor leaguers not on 40-man rosters available to the other 29 teams in the league. The deadline is Nov. 20. The Twins currently have 32 spots taken, and Ryan said they will not fill the rest with prospects.

"We don't have that many guys we need to go that far with," he said.

Players who no doubt will be added: right-hander Kyle Gibson, the team's 2009 first-round draft pick, and outfielder Aaron Hicks, the 2008 first-round pick who had a breakout year at Class AA New Britain last season.

Reliever Michael Tonkin, 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA in 10 innings in the Arizona Fall League, and starter B.J. Hermsen, 11-6 with a 3.22 ERA at New Britain, also could be protected, but the Twins need to leave room for players they pick up via free agency or trade. They already have added reliever Josh Roenicke, claimed off waivers from Colorado this month.

"We've got some decisions to make on some guys, Gibson being one," Twins minor league director Jim Rantz said. "There are some kids we're looking at -- Tonkin, Hermsen, who was our (minor league) pitcher of the year. These guys are eligible and had pretty decent years."